I disagree with freezing it. It changes the energetics. There is a 5000+ year technique that still exists for a reason, because it works. When something is ineffective, its usage doesn't last that long. In TCM it is steamed with digestive herbs to support digestion and assimilation. Then, if you don't have a dehydrator, you can simply slice the placenta and put it in your oven on the lowest setting until it's ready to be powdered and capped.

river and mountain mama to two amazing girls, 8.25.05 and 1.13.08, and married to my soulmate of 18 yrs

yum... I read that it has been suggested in the past that postpartum depression in some patients is spurred by the quickly shifting levels of female hormones after giving birth, and that by eating the placenta, the hormones will stabilize and postpartum depression can therefore be prevented.

If you want to eat your placenta because you believe in its supposed health benefits, go right ahead. Just be aware that this material has to be handled with care, and you have to protect those around you from being exposed to any tissue waste that you may find unsuitable for consumption.

I have done this twice, with my most recent two births which were unassisted. There are people who will handle it for you and encapsulate it for a fee, but I don't find that necessary.

TCM is not the last word on placenta consumption. You can steam and dry it that way, or freeze it in bits (leaving it raw), or eat the whole thing over a day or two. I have done a combination of these. DH always cuts a piece for under my tongue immediately after the placenta is delivered. Then he has cut up some and lightly cooked (raw inside, but warm) it for me within an hour of birth. It was not repulsive to me. Then I have used a dehydrator and crushed the dried product, swallowing some every day.

My name is Becca Newmark and I'm a senior in the Anthropology department at Princeton University. I am writing my senior thesis on the practice of postpartum placenta consumption/placenta encapsulation, and I was so excited to see a lively and honest conversation taking place between women on this website.

If any of you are interested and willing, I would absolutely love to speak with you regarding your plans, your past experience, and your understandings of the potential benefits of placenta encapsulation. Of course, I understand if you are not interested in speaking with me. While interviewing women is an important aspect of my work, I believe it should be valued both by myself and by the women I am interviewing, and so I completely understand if you don't want to participate.

You can reach me on my account here, or at my school email ([email protected]). Thank you so much for your time!

Sorry if this has been addressed already, i couldn't read the whole thread. I would consider this since i had ppd with my first and am now pregnant again, but i read somewhere that the placenta is a bit like the liver in that it filters all the waste from baby and that eating it is unhealthy for that reason. Also my baby had maconium in her water when she was born, which makes me wonder if it would make the placenta unsafe to eat in that case as well